What is Flash Fiction?
Flash Fiction simply refers to really short stories. Like 1000 words or less. Short.
And it is tricky.
It is a lot harder to write concisely, to introduce memorable and sympathetic characters, to follow a coherent plot, not to mention the twist. The goal of Flash Fiction is that is sticks with you, that it makes you remember it and think about it long after you read it.
I r
ecently read a fairly well-known piece of flash written by Guatemalan writer, Although Monterroso. It is titled, The Dinosaur.
Cuando despertó, el dinosaurio todavía estaba allí. (“When [s]he awoke, the dinosaur was still there.”)
That’s the whole thing.
When I first read it, I was confused. Who is the awaking? Why is the dinosaur there? What happened? When is it set? It is sooooo ambiguous. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked it, not in spite of its ambiguity, but because of it.
I mention all of this because I’ll be speaking about Flash Fiction at the upcoming Breathe Writers Conference in October. I plan to encourage writers of all genres to try flash fiction. I’ll be explaining how writing flash can improve whatever genre or style they write. If you are in the area, or will by in October, make sure you check out the Breathe Conference. I hope to see you there!
Here are a few more things I’ve done on the topic of Flash Fiction
Josh Mosey 